But before you call the authorities, let me say that I only
advocate Twitter Stalking in the capacity of sharing ideas. It really is a
great way to stay connected with others that can help you on your journey, and
fits nicely with the collaborative spirit in which credit unions exist. In what
other world do people from different brands unite, share ideas, and honestly
want to see each other succeed?

It’s an interesting dichotomy we’ve begun meeting people
online first, and then in person or sometimes not at all. I love that it is
perfectly acceptable to start a collaborative friendship after months of
stalking each other on Twitter before having a real conversation. (Shoutout
@Brudaddy) I even love the fact that a lot of people know me as @ames322 before
they ever meet Amy Etheridge.

In my escapades as a Professional Twitter Stalker (yes, I
will be adding that to my resume), I’ve come to look for certain “stalkable”
qualities that I will now share with you so that you too can become more
“stalkable.” It’s important to note that you don’t have to possess all of these
qualities. Pick one that suits you, and do it well:

Be Funny—If you can offer a laugh in the middle of a crazy day, show me sarcastic (or
cheeky for my Canadian friends), provide links to a video of a clothes dryer
doing the Harlem shake, or pictures of the latest cat wearing a funny hat I’m
sold on you. However, if you can do all of that and provide me other relevant
information in between you become a stalker’s delight. The funny guy wins most
of the time. If you have the ability to use humor…do it.

Be
Unpredictable—You take all the fun away from stalking if I can set my
clock to your posts and if I know it’s always going to be about the same thing.
That’s great and reliable, but not “stalkable.” You want to knock me off my
feet, be spontaneous. Don’t take yourself so serious all the time, and have fun
with it.

Be
Engaging and Responsive—If you post awesome stuff, people are going to
want to talk to you about it. There is nothing worse than responding to a post,
a tweet, whatever, and never getting a response or acknowledgment. To me, every
interaction you have online is an open ended conversation. If you start a conversation
you need to be willing to put the time in to engaging your stalkers, I mean
followers. It will also keep them coming back for more. If I know you will
actually talk to me, I’m more apt to come back and see what you’re saying.

Be an
Expert—This is probably the most important trait, and it goes along with
all the others. Yes, you can feel free to rant and rave about nonsense if you
would like to. But if you want to be “stalkable” you have to be a reliable
source. Your followers will expect that you know what you are talking about.
Stalkers, me included, are lazy or in a hurry. I don’t want to have to double
check the information you provide before I share it with my own stalkers. I
need to have complete trust in you, knowing that you’ve already don’t the
research and you are talking fact. If you become unreliable, you will
immediately find yourself off the stalker list.

Be Yourself—Be genuine, share, and stalk alike. We’re all on this road together!

This is not a shameless plug for stalkers, I mean followers.
We actually are a really good mix of the stalkable qualities listed above. Share your own stalker
list and qualities you look for while stalking in the comments section below.
I’d love to add to my list.

Amy

Amy Etheridge lives in Warner Robins, Georgia. She is the Electronic Marketing Coordinator at Robins Federal Credit Union. Amy started her credit union career 10 years ago as a teller, worked in branch operations, and has found her calling in the marketing department. The thoughts posted here are her own, and do not reflect those of her employer.